New Amsterdam Review: The Crossover (Season 4 Episode 12)

Max’s job search in the cold open of New Amsterdam Season 4 Episode 12, “The Crossover,” is absolutely relatable to anyone who has ever searched for a job. 

There is still no narrative reason why Max and Helen are in London, though. To appreciate “The Crossover,” we need to stay in New York. The patients there are responsible for making this hour of television shine. 

First and foremost there is Willow. Recurring guest stars are the unsung heroes of all TV series. 

We don’t see them every week, but we know them — we have permission to get invested. Sometimes, they are definitely more compelling than main characters, because since they’re not on our screens every week, their stories can unfold at a more realistic pace. 

Willow’s story isn’t all that deep, but I’m still happy to see her. Her emotional fatigue from fighting cancer for so long is understandable, as is her mistrust of Dr. Wilder now that Helen is gone. 

It makes very little sense that Dr. Wilder suddenly trusts Dr. Castries and wants to work with her, but that doesn’t even matter. We care about Willow so much that it’s a relief to see her get some pain relief. 

I’m afraid she might die soon, but that’s beside the point. For now, New Amsterdam uses a recurring character effectively to make an episode better. 

Veronica Fuentes is also a magnificent villain, but hating her is exhausting. So, the break from her is nice.

It is hard to understand why Dr. Wilder suddenly trusts Mia to work against Veronica and be a part of the revolution, though. That just might be a bad move. 

Nico is also a really fun and effective guest star. We’ll only see him once, so his life story doesn’t matter as much as his medical case. 

I haven’t seen every episode of every medical show ever, but I’ve seen many, and never once has there been a situation where fandom is blamed for a heart condition. 

Sports fans may get mad and call the story ridiculous, but things we love and care about do get us weirdly riled up when they are stressing us out, whether it be a sports team or a ship we’re rooting for on TV.

It’s exciting when TV gets us thinking about topics from new angles like that, and Nico does this in two ways. 

His obsession with his lucky jersey is also worth considering. Why do we sometimes put so much pressure on objects to bring us “luck” when we know the object has no more control over the outcome than we do? 

Human nature is strange. 

Speaking of our behaviors, watching Iggy work is always fascinating. His compassion and instinct to treat Herman as human even though he is homeless and might be mentally ill is one we should all learn from. 

New Amsterdam makes a really good point that cops can learn to deescalate situations from psychologists. I’m not sure that I want to watch Iggy train them week after week, though 

It’s too idealistic. New Amsterdam has always struggled to balance giving us real hope and portraying the real world.

But I’m just not sure how much funding for a program like this actually exists in Manhattan. It needs to be careful to be realistic about a problem that won’t just magically disappear. 

Then again, Lyn’s pregnancy won’t magically disappear either and Floyd is running from that. He’s not exactly refusing responsibility for his child, we know. 

But New Amsterdam is forecasting his future and it’s not one that’s worth watching.

He’s leaving Lyn, but now the baby is going to be his. The polyamorous plot had the potential to be surprising and it’s definitely a rare one on scripted TV. 

Why does New Amsterdam start that story if it has no intent to explore it? “Who’s the father?” is a boring cop-out here.

 

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New Amsterdam airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC. 

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